[Efficacy of recombinant activated factor VII in diffuse alveolar haemorrhage]

Alveolar haemorrhage is a serious complication of a range of different pathologies. Published recent literature has reported only cases unresponsive to the usual treatment (steroids, transfusions, immunosuppressors and mechanical ventilation) as well as multiple secondary complications of these kinds of therapies. Recombinant activated factor VII (rF VIIa) is a new class of agent, which appears to be a successful adjunct therapy in the case of failure of conventional treatments.

We describe two cases of alveolar haemorrhage treated with rF VIIa. The first patient had leukaemia and the second had ANCA-associated granulomatous vasculitis. Both were admitted to the intensive care unit for mechanical ventilation with persistent diffuse alveolar haemorrhage that responded only to a single dose of rF VIIa (90 μg/kg).

rF VIIa is a promising treatment for diffuse, persistent alveolar haemorrhage, with only a small dose required to be effective. Future studies are needed in order to establish a clear protocol for the administration of this novel agent.